The Newsie Exchange
by I'm Not Psychotic. I'm Gifted
Summary: After the strike, Queens pays a visit to Manhattan for a month to check up on their old ally. [Rating for future language and sexual...stuff.]
1. Queens of Kings

Disclaimer: As much as I might wish it, I don't own Newsies. The characters who weren't in the 1992 movie but are in this fic do, however, belong to me. As does the "plot."

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She took one more step, turned around, and said her final goodbyes to the newsies of her city, Queens. Though she and her companion were sad at having to leave, they didn't show it, as that would make it harder on those who had to stay. The two said one last farewell and began moving forward, out of Queens and into a new realm entirely. The two girls walked silently, and were soon greeted by the sun, signaling the rest of New York would begin to bustle with people. The first girl was the shorter of the two, but not by much. Her hair was midnight black and went down to her chin, seeming to grow out of the dark gray hat she wore. The shadows made her eyes pop out, being that they were blue-green. The clothes she wore were that of any typical newsie: a sleeveless gray shirt, green suspenders, and a pair of loose capris. 

Her companion was taller by two and a half inches. While most would think that's not much, she never let the other forget it. The hat she wore was a black fedora, hiding away her shoulder blade-length dirty blonde hair, which was currently pulled back and tucked into the hat. Her eyes were hazel, being brought out by the brown vest and white sleeveless shirt. It was obvious she liked layers, do to her white skirt laying on top of her tan capris. The capris stopped just below her knees, while the skirt was three inches above. Their pace in walking wasn't fast, nor was it by any means slow. When the taller girl heard her friend sigh, she asked,

"What's the matter?" her hazel gaze was met by a blue-green one.

"Do we _havta _go through Brooklyn?" At the response, she chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, it's quicker to get to Manhattan. Besides, Stretch, don't you got a cousin in Brooklyn?"

"Yeah... but I don't think we'll run into him." With that, their journey from Queens to Manhattan continued, half in silence, half in conversation. As they went, they saw people making their was to their jobs, the sun making its way up the sky.

"Queenie, how much longer?"

"Dunno. 'Bout two hours." They kept walking until, as Stretch feared, they reached Brooklyn. At first their path was just fine, though receiving many strange looks. It wasn't until nearing the Brooklyn Bridge that they encountered trouble.

"It's 15 cents to go through Brooklyn..." one of the boys said, "...each." The two girls looked at each other and started laughing. Their amusement made the guys around them look unhappy, some of them glaring.

"Would ya do the honors, Stretch?"

"Sure, Queenie, I can spot ya." The brunette walked up to the boy who had previously spoken, stopping about a foot in front of him. They stared at each other for a moment before she reached back and punched him square in the jaw. The boy stumbled and fell from the force, holding his mouth as blood dribbled from the corner of his lips. The fedora-wearing blonde crossed her arms and smirked, keeping herself from laughing again. "I think that oughta cover us both."

"What if it don't?" spoke a new male voice from behind the two of them. Queenie turned around to see several others standing there, attempting to trap them. She uncrossed her arms and cracked her knuckles.

"I can fix that." she said. She heard Stretch move next to her and sigh defeatedly.

"I was hopin' we wouldn't run into ya." she said, causing the boy to smirk. He was wearing a dark gray cap, much like Stretch's, regular brown pants held up by red suspenders, and a plaid, loose-fitting shirt. One of his pockets had a sling-shot in it, which was normal for Brooklyn newsies. In the loop of his belt, however, was a black, gold-tipped cane, which wasn't as normal.

"Don' wanna visit family?" he said. Queenie made the connection quickly. She turned away from the boys and looked at Stretch.

"_That's _your cousin?" The boy assumed she knew who he was, causing the disbelief in her voice. While she did know of Spot Conlon, she wasn't about to say it. She walked over, standing right in front of him, noticing the inch and a half difference in their height. She raised her hand, palm facing the ground, to represent it. "I see the... family resemblance." Upon seeing Spot's angry facial expression, she smirked.

"Spot, meet Queenie. Queenie, meet Spot." Stretch said quickly.

" 'Cause you're from Queens, right?" interjected one of the boys standing behind Spot. His comment made her chuckle.

"Nah, it's 'cause I'm Queen of the newsies." With that, the blonde grabbed Spot's cane and took off running, being chased by the angered newsie. The others would've followed to try and help, but were stopped by the brunette, who explained that if he wanted it back badly enough, he's get it on his own. They sat back and watched the boy chase her, all the while him shouting angrily and her laughing at him. Queenie stopped abruptly, turning around to face Spot, and was tackled to the ground by his inability to stop that fast. The watchers decided to walk over as the two stood up, Spot holding onto his cane tightly. Stretch was barely able to contain her amusement.

"You just got your cane stolen..." Queenie smirked triumphantly, receiving a glare from him.

"I'm still taller." he said.

"You promised you would never speak of that!"

"C'mon, Stretch." said the blonde, walking to her and putting an arm over her shoulders. "Don' wanna keep nobody waitin'." With that, the two continued their journey to Manhattan. "Nice to meet ya, Spot."

"Likewise." he replied, watching them leave.

"The rest of their walk was spent laughing about the different methods of revenge the leader of Brooklyn would try and how badly they would fail. But at last their destination was reached, and they walked into the lodging house for the local newsies. Upon entering, they saw an elderly man sitting behind a desk. The desk was littered with papers and books and was somewhat dusty.

"Kloppman, I presume?" Stretch said.

"Can I help ya?"

"We're here to see Jack. You know where he is?"

"Here." They heard a voice speak from behind. The two turned around and were met with the familiar sight and Jack "Cowboy" Kelly: 5"7, brown hair that was slicked back, though some strands escaped the grease and fell into his eyes, pin-striped vest with a red bandana tied around his neck.

"Cowboy."

"Queenie." They both spit into the palm of their hands and shook.

"Come on, I'll introduce ya to the boys." Jack said, smiling and walking past the two of them and starting up the stairs.

"Kelly!" The three stopped and looked at Kloppman. "Ya know the rules about girls!" Stretch put on her sweetest smile and matched it with her voice.

"Don't worry, sir, we're good girls." she said. They climbed the stairs, hardly able to contain their laughter. They entered a dorm room with bunk-beds lined up on either side. The newsies who occupied the room, upon seeing the two females, immediately stood and removed their hats. Jack went around and began naming people. One boy walked up, hat still being held to his chest. He was the same height as Spot, had a cigar in between his fingers, and was wearing a lop-sided grin.

"Dear me, what have we here?" he said. Jack chuckled and placed his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"This, Racetrack, is the two newsies from Queens, Queenie and Stretch." They nodded their heads to him. When they had been introduced, a new boy walked up to them. He had his hat and a pape in his hands. Of all the newsies, he was the only one wearing capris. His skin was the color of caramel, matching his eyes. The boy stood in front of Stretch, having a good four inches in height on her.

"Penny a pape, miss?" he said, holding it out. She laughed to herself.

"Pape?" The brunette smirked. "How much do you cost?" The question made several in the room laugh, including Queenie.

"I'm Mush." He held out his hand and had it grasped by her own. Jack moved from Race to a boy who's gaze hadn't left Queenie since she entered the room. He wore an eye-patch over his left eye, his right one being a bright blue color. The cowboy wrapped an arm around him, flickering his gaze between the boy and girl.

"This here's Blink." he said.

"Pleased to meet ya." Queenie said. Jack then stood in the middle of the room and pointed to different people as he introduced them. Afterwards, the boy had gotten an idea.

"I'm sure some of the fellas wouldn't mind helpin' me show youse around this town." When he said it, he was standing with his back to the others, facing the two girls. But it was more than obvious he didn't _want _to show them around Manhattan alone by how loud he had said the statement. Racetrack, Blink, and Mush walked up to them.

"We'd be honored." The expert poker player said, smiling. The six of them left the lodging house, beginning on their way to the building of "The World."

"So how long of a walk is it from Queens to here?" Blink asked.

" 'Bout two hours, if ya don't stop." Stretch said, hands in her pockets.

"Woulda been here sooner if we didn't havta stop in Brooklyn."

"Try the other way around." the brunette said, putting an arm over Queenie's shoulders. "Queenie here stole Spot Conlon's cane." The boys instantly stopped walking, staring in disbelief. Racetrack's mouth hung open, allowing his lit cigar to hit the ground. It took a minute before the initial shock wore off and Jack was able to form words.

"Ya did... what?" he said.

"Stole his cane. Pretty easy. I knew he wouldn't do nothin' to me, since Stretch is his cousin." Queenie explained. The four boys nodded their heads. They all continued to walk, silence engulfing them. Blink, at least, regained his senses and jogged forward, turning and standing in front of them to stop them.

"This, ladies and gents, is The New York World." he said dramatically. The two girls looked at the tall building, complete with gold dome, and then looked to its right, seeing large gates. The six of them walked up to said gates and stopped. "This is where we get our papes." The place vaguely reminded them of their own back in Queens.

"Any place else we need to see?" asked Stretch, looking to Mush. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Jack.

"Tibby's." he said. The cowboy couldn't quite explain it, but he didn't want Stretch's attention drawn towards the other newsie. He wanted it to him.

"You can buy me a drink, Jackie-boy." The six turned to look at the familiar face of Spot Conlon. The would've known it was him by the nickname only he used for Jack.

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A/N: So, like it, love it, hate it? Let me know. Btw, the reason they're in Manhattan is explained in the next chapter, k? 


	2. Measure Up

A/N: Hey there! I just thought I'd let you lovely readers know that the chapters will be generally around the same length, though I can't guarantee a speedy update. Enjoy the second chapter.

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**/Spot's POV/**

They turned and looked at me and the other two boys I had brought with me. For some reason, only the four Manhattan boys looked surprised to see me. My cousin and her friend just smirked. Stretch's smirk reminds me of mine. Must be a Conlon thing.

"Spot, whatcha doin' here?" questioned Jack. Before I could say anything, though, Queenie answered in my place.

"I think he wants to apologize to Stretch." At that, I scoffed. I have never apologized for doing something. Ever. Not even after I slugged Racetrack for cheating in a poker game we were playing. (He _had _to be cheating. How else could he have beaten me?) Instead of saying anything, I walked up to the girl who had just spoken. Though I'd never admit to thinking it, she was pretty. We made eye contact for a second before the one-eyed kid, Blink, stepped in front of her.

"Somethin' you gotta say?" I said, expecting the idiot to move. When he didn't, I moved my hand to the golden tip of the cane on my belt, remembering how many times I had ever used it to _make _someone move. But I guess Jackie-boy saw and knew what I was going to do, 'cause that's when he put his arms in between us to separate us.

"Fellas, the girls jus' got here. How 'bout we talk about this over a coke?" he suggested. Blink looked from me to Jack and nodded. The cowboy then peered down at me.

"Fine." I said.

**/Stretch's POV/**

I'm glad Jack stepped in to keep them from fighting. I don't know Blink, but I do know Spot, and he doesn't stop punching till they stop breathing.

"Lead the way, Jack." I said, attempting to lighten the mood. I saw Spot turn back to the two others who had come with him, say something, and then watch them walk in the direction of the lodging house. Jack gestured with his hand and began walking, everyone following. Queenie and I linked arms and walked in front of all but Jack. Feeling everyone's eyes on us was slightly unnerving, but I ignored it. We came to a halt as the cowboy opened the door. The place, Tibby's, I think he said, was somewhat quiet and gave off a cozy vibe. It wasn't crowded, which made finding some seats easy. The waiter who came over was an older-looking guy who was wearing the typical outfit of any waiter. If he hadn't been sneering, he probably would've reminded me of a grandpa.

"What would you like?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"A pony." answered my best friend. Everyone chuckled as the waiter's eyebrow began to twitch. "I'd like a coke." she said.

"I think everybody does." I said, looking to each face for any disagreement. When I saw none, I said to the old waiter, "Seven cokes." He nodded and walked off, muttering to himself about "stupid kids." Spot looked at me in shock.

"Ya can count, _May!_" he said, putting emphasis on my real name. I glared at him. He knew I hated being called May. My glare, however, was soon replaced with a smirk as I remembered something.

"One of us should be able to, _Sean._"

**/Queenie's POV/**

The rest of us could tell it was on. Stretch normally punched out anyone who called her by her real name. In an attempt to break up the fight, I changed the subject.

"So, short stuff," I said, looking to Spot, "To what do we's owe the pleasure?" Everyone then turned their attention to him, waiting for an answer.

"Brooklyn deserves to know why Queens is in Manhattan." he answered, moving his gaze from his cousin to Jack and I, flickering it between us.

"Kinda wondered that, too." Racetrack piped up. I looked at everyone who was currently looking to me, and decided to explain.

"Queens is curious about Manhattan's welfare. I asked my newsies, see what they wanted to do, and this is what everybody agreed on. Jack came to Queens a couple of days ago and said it was fine." The other four, seeing as Stretch already knew the circumstances, were silent for a moment while they absorbed the information. The waiter, finally, returned with our drinks and set them on the table. He reached into the apron around his waist and removed some straws, throwing them down onto the table. He walked away, once again muttering to himself. I passed everyone their cokes, Stretch and I clinking ours together before swallowing some. After drinking down some of his own, Spot looked me in the eyes. His blue gaze was piercing, and made me somewhat uncomfortable.

**/General/**

"Alright, I want in." Spot said. Jack looked at him a moment before responding.

"Wouldja be stayin' here too?" he asked, already mentally trying to find a place he could stay the night. He was able to temporarily stop worrying when Spot told him he would begin staying in Manhattan tomorrow night. He stood up, reached into his pocket, and withdrew a coin, tossing it down onto the table.

"Leavin' so soon?" Queenie said.

"Gotta get back." he replied, picking up his coke and downing it in one gulp. "Good to see ya, boys." He and Jack shook hands before he nodded his head to the two girls and left. As he was exiting the door, Stretch noticed, two more boys walked in. While both were obviously newsies, one was much older than the other. The younger boy held a wooden sword in his hand, and was thrusting into the air with it, only stopping when the older one asked him to. He spotted the group and made his way over.

"Heya, Davey!" greeted Jack, rising from his chair. He moved over and squatted in front of the smaller boy. "Hey there, Les. Wanna meet some new newsies?" The boy smiled from ear to ear and nodded his head vehemently. Stretch and Queenie could hardly believe such a cute little boy existed, and didn't refrain from emitting a small "Aww..." Jack turned to the two and gestured with his hand for them to come over. They both did, and squatted down next to Jack. "Les, this is Queenie and Stretch." The little one looked at them with an adorable smile, making them both hug him at the same time. They heard a chuckle from above them and released Les, standing up. Jack followed suit and introduced them. "Ladies, this is David, the walking mouth." He shook hands with each of them and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud cough from behind them. When they turned to see who had interrupted them, they saw the grumpy-looking waiter, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Please keep the way clear." he said in an annoyed tone. Queenie vaguely wondered if his wife had admitted to be currently cheating on him and was packing her bags. Honestly, what else could make him _that_ grumpy and mean to the rest of the world? To avoid an argument, though, David nodded politely and moved everyone back to their seats at the table. He took a chair from a different table and moved it next to Jack's. As the rest of the "meal" went on, Queenie and Stretch were still obsessing over how cute and adorable they found Les. Everyone began to carry out conversations with the person sitting next to them.

When they had finished, they stood, pooled money to pay, and gave it to the man at the door who smiled kindly and thanked them for coming. The eight of them made their way back to the lodging house, laughing at the occasional joke Race would tell them. But as soon as they were within the boys' dorm room, Queenie quickly realized she had lost something. She began to panic, groping her neck and hoping to feel the chain against her fingertips, but to no avail. Stretch noticed her friend's odd behavior and asked what was wrong.

"It's gone." she said before running out of the room, ignoring the stares of the other boys. She flew down the stairs and out the door, stopping abruptly a few feet from it. She frantically began looking around for her most prized possession. The necklace itself was sterling silver with a locket dangling from it. Within it was a picture of her grandmother on her mother's side. The reason it was so important to her was because before her grandmother had sadly passed away, she gave it to her, telling Queenie to never give up on her dreams. Of all the family she had, that one woman was the only one to believe Queenie when she explained that she didn't need her parents or their money to make her mark on the world. So now she always wore the heart-shaped locket to let her grandmother know she was always thinking of her, and never giving up on her dreams.

After five minutes of searching the ground frantically, she found the necklace, open, laying perfectly out of harm's way. She picked it up and surveyed the picture of her grandmother, smiling. Queenie put the necklace on and held the locket within the grasp of her hand. She sighed in relief and looked at the area around her, recognized the statue, and realized she had walked all the way to the square without meaning to.

The blonde began walking back to the lodging house and quickly noticed she was being followed, but made no signs to show it. She turned into an alley, stopping after stepping a foot within it. As expected, the person following her tried to enter the alley and was met by Queenie's fist. It was a boy, she saw, and he went flying backward, landing in the street five feet away. The boy held his nose in an attempt to cease the blood flowing from it.

"Relax, toots," he said from behind his hand, "It's just Oscar." She glared at him, making him flinch slightly. "Didn't know a girl could hit that hard." Queenie scoffed; This moron obviously didn't know who she was. She walked up to him, towering over him until he scrambled to his feet.

"You'd be surprised." she said, and with that, walked away. He didn't continue to follow her, and she was almost sad. There was nothing like a good brawl to make a day. When she reentered the lodging house, Stretch was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"I see ya found it." she said, smiling. Queenie happily nodded and went up the stairs, going into the room she had previously been in and taking her seat next to Blink. He looked at her and asked why she had run out.

"My necklace, it had fallen off." She pinched the chain between her thumb and pointer finger and lifted it. The blue-eyed boy took the locket into his hand and opened it, observing the picture it held. "It's my grandmother." she said, answering his question before it was asked. The two of them joined the conversation that some of the other boys were having, chiming in once or twice. Stretch was listening, too, but wasn't really talking. She had taken notice of the way the younger newsies were whispering behind their hands to others. Even several of the older boys had begun to do it. She leaned over to Queenie, whispering that she'd be right back.

"You ok?" she inquired. The brunette nodded and stood, making her way to the door. All the boys parted, creating a path for her. She left the room and climbed the next set of stairs, making her way to the highest floor. When the stairs ended, Stretch was met with a hallway with a window at the end of it. She walked up to the window, opened it, and climbed out onto the fire escape. She went up the ladder and found herself on the roof.

_Perfect. _she thought. The girl had always liked roofs, liked being high up. She sat down on one of the spots where the shingles weren't falling off, pulling her knees to her chest and sighing. Being up there gave her the perfect view of the sunset, and Stretch couldn't believe it'd gotten late that quickly. With nothing but the descending sun to distract her, she remembered the looks on the boys faces, and how much they mirrored the ones of the other newsies back in Queens. Everyone was so... afraid of her. Well, everyone with the exception of Queenie, Spot, and the boy, Jack. Sometimes the girl preferred being on her own, simply because it made her life easier.

But naturally, at moments like this, Stretch would catch herself feeling lonely and longing for someone's embrace.

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After about two minutes of Stretch being gone, Jack decided to follow her. He left the dorm room without saying a word, and went up the stairs. He had heard her go up, right? He came upon the empty hallway and saw the open window.

_She must be on the roof. _he thought. As quietly as he could, Jack went out the window and onto the fire escape, climbing it and wincing every time it creaked or groaned. When he reached the rooftop, he saw Stretch with her back to him. He ducked down when he heard her sigh, and wondered what she was thinking of. His mental question was answered when he heard her begin to sing to herself.

"I know what ya see

When ya look at me.

But I'm more than just words and fists

I'm a lady with a wish.

Maybe I'm just dreamin'

Lettin' my mind off reelin'

But if there's someone listenin' to my song-

Maybe ya know where I belong.

Tell me what it takes to measure up.

So what if I ain't prim or proper?

What if I ain't gots no mother?

I'm more than a tough facade-

There's more to this kid that pushes everyone away.

I'm lookin' for someone not afraid to sing along

Someone not afraid to say I'm wrong.

Boy, that'd be the day.

So, tell me if you're listenin'-

What I've gotta do?

I'm human just like the rest of yous.

I've got voice, but I've got heart-

I'm more than just smart remarks.

So if there's someone listenin'

Could you help me out?

Show me someone a little too proud,

Who's willin' to press their luck

I'm waitin' for someone who measures up.

Show me who measures up.

'Cause I know what the world sees when they look at me.

But that's not me.

That's not me."

When she had finished, Jack was completely shocked. She had the voice of an angel! She then turned around, sensing someone was there, and saw Jack staring at her.

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A/N: I must give credit where credit is due. The song, entitled "Measure Up", was written by my friend Melissa, who does have the voice of an angel.  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please leave a review!


	3. Flies in the Champagne

A/N Sorry for taking so long! Enjoy the chapter, please leave a review!

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Stretch's first instinct was to run like hell. But, remembering she was on a rooftop, that option quickly dissolved. From what she saw, it seemed like Jack was trying to figure out a way to explain himself.

"What are you doing?" she asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.

"Well, ya didn't look... I thought I should... Uh..." Jack mentally scolded himself. He sounded like an idiot. While trying to think of something intelligent-sounding to say, the cowboy noticed just how perfectly the setting sun framed Stretch. The shadows made her eyes pop, and her skin seemed to glow. She looked... ethereal? Was that the right word? He remembered David using it to describe something. Jack somehow managed to mutter something about going back inside and climbed back down the ladder. He heard Stretch following him, and only looked back when he was going through the window. He stopped, watching her come inside.

"You got a nice voice." The Santa Fe-loving newsie was barely able to finish his comment before the girl's fist connected with his lip, splitting it. He stumbled back a few steps, but didn't fall.

"Ya tell anybody about what ya saw or heard, an' I'll soak ya." she said threateningly before walking off, back down the stairs. Jack placed two fingers to his bottom lip and brought them down to look at them. They had traces of blood, however small they might be. He poked at the new wound with his tongue, being met a taste of copper. For some reason, the stinging sensation made him smile.

_Maybe _I _can measure up..._ he thought. Jack then walked down to the dorm room on the second floor, hearing Kloppman tell the boys it was lights out. When he entered the room, he saw that the two girls were gone, having been given separate rooms from the other newsies.

That night, Jack slept soundly.

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Stretch hadn't gotten any sleep. She yawned and sat up from the bed she had been laying in. Queenie was already up, dressing herself. The brunette followed suit and rose from the bed, sighing as she did so. Her best friend walked over to her after placing her black fedora atop her head.

"Tired?" she asked.

"As hell." was the response she received. The blonde chuckled and left the room, going downstairs to wait for her friend. It wasn't long before Stretch and several other newsies came down and walked outside, being greeted by a soft breeze. In silence, the two girls walked side-by-side to The New York World and leaned against the brick wall next to the closed iron gates. After about five minutes, there was a crowd of newsies waiting to hear the circulation bell. When at last it rang through the air, the boys, of course, allowed the girls to go first.

Except for Jack Kelly, that is. As he was walking through the now open gates, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," said Queenie, "Ladies first." Stretch smirked and chuckled, walking in front of him with her friend. The wooden ramp creaked beneath them as the many newsies piled on, forming a line. The red shutters behind the barred counter were lifted, and an old man stood behind them. (A/N Please remember this is after the strike, so Weasel is gone.) He smiled kindly at them and opened up the book that lay before him.

"How many, miss?" Queenie returned the smile and removed two quarters from her pocket, sliding them underneath the bars.

"100 papes." she said. He took the quarters and they were quickly replaced with the papers. She picked them up and walked slowly down the stairs, waiting for Stretch once again. The brunette followed soon after, going with Queenie to the gates before parting ways. You see, most of the boys were wrong in thinking the two girls would sell together. While both girls were quite alike, they had different methods of selling their papes.

Stretch walked down the street, holding 100 papes in her arms and looked at the people opening their stores. She saw several men standing outside of one and walked up to them. As she was approaching, she heard them discussing some boxing match. At first, they didn't seem to notice her, but when she cleared her throat, they stopped talking.

"Buy a pape?" she said. All three said no, and went back to talking. When Stretch didn't continue on her way, they questioned what she wanted. "Sell all my papes, o' course." she replied.

"Sell 'em somewhere else!" said one of the men. It obviously didn't occur to them that Stretch wasn't a quitter. After all, she was from Queens. After about fifteen minutes, some very inappropriate language, and a dollar being pooled together amongst the three men, the 5'2 brunette was whistling happily, walking away with the dollar in her pocket.

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"Come on, help a lady out?" said Queenie, smiling sweetly. She only had ten papes left to sell, and she'd be done for the day. The ten boys she was talking to dug into their pockets, searching for a coin. One by one, they boys stepped forward, placing a penny into Queenie's palm and taking one of her papes. When they were gone, she put the change in her pocket, where the rest was, and smiled brightly and tipped her fedora at the ten boys before her.

"Thanks fellas." she said, and turned around to go back to the lodging house. She instead bumped into someone an inch shorter than herself, and looked into the eyes of none other than Spot Conlon. A smirk was playing across his lips as he and Queenie began walking back together. (Well, more she was walking and he just happened to follow her.)

"That's how ya sell your papes?" he said, not looking to her as he spoke.

"It works, don't it?" she replied, not looking away from the street ahead. Queenie heard a chuckle escape the boy next to her and she felt a smile tug at her lips. As they turned a corner, they saw Tibby's, a few people standing outside. Spot reached over to the blonde and placed a hand on her arm, causing her to look at him. "What?" she said.

"Let's get somethin' to eat." Queenie nodded and went into the restaurant, requesting a seat from the man behind the booth that was next to the door. As it was a little after lunchtime, Tibby's was only half full, and allowed the two to get a booth in the corner. They both ordered a coke from the waiter who sat them, and soon after, an uncomfortable silence engulfed them.

_The way he's smirkin' bothers me._ Queenie thought. _Like he knows somethin' I don't._

The waiter came back with their drinks and two menus, telling them he would return in a few minutes. As the girl looked over the choices, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being stared at. She chanced a quick look up from the menu in her hands to Spot and discovered that his blue gaze rested on her. They both remained quiet, Queenie picking up her coke and taking a gulp.

"You're rich." he said, as if he'd been waiting for the perfect moment to say it. The leader of Queens nearly spit out her drink, taking a moment to swallow it and breathe.

"Nah. My parents are rich, I ain't." she replied. " 'Sides, how'd ya know that?"

"I got little birds all over." he said, the smirk never leaving his face. Thankfully, the waiter returned and took their orders: A tuna sandwich for Spot and French fries for Queenie. Just as the Brooklyn newsie opened his mouth to saw something more, he was cut off by the ringing of the bell attached to the door of Tibby's. In came Blink, who saw them and walked over, taking a seat next to Queenie. He and Spot glared at each other for a moment or two before he turned to the girl next to him, flashing a dazzling smile.

"How do ya like Manhattan so far?" he asked. The blonde returned his smile.

"It's nice. Sellin's pretty easy."

The two people sitting opposite him kept talking, but Spot wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying. It had happened to quickly: One minute, he and Queenie were talking, the next they are. It was beginning to make him feel like a third wheel. But that was completely impossible. Spot Conlon was never a third wheel. The thought itself was just... wrong!

"...but don't worry, the cow got back just fine." said Blink. Queenie laughed and smiled, which became infectious, and made the one-eyed newsie smile even more. Spot vaguely wondered what they were talking about. The food came, and Blink ordered a coke, but nothing else. The Brooklyn newsie noticed him steal a fry or two from Queenie's plate, which, for one reason or another, irritated him. His glare hardened as he took a bite from his tuna sandwich.

* * *

"Ya cheated!" cried Racetrack as Stretch laid down her hand. The girl just smirked at him, holding out her hand, palm up, to collect her winnings. With a groan of protest, and several gaping newsies who'd been watching the game of poker, Race handed over fifty cents. The brunette pocketed the money and looked around at the faces turned to her.

"Anybody else?" she asked. The newsies may be many things, but they were smart enough to know that when someone beat _Racetrack, _they had no chance in hell of winning. When no one took her offer, Stretch shrugged and stood. The bunk room was empty, aside from the give boys in it with her. She decided to go on a walk around Manhattan and enjoy the nice day. As she left the lodging house, a familiar face came speeding up to her, quick as a lightning bolt.

"Heya, Speed!" Stretch exclaimed. The boy was tall, about the same height as Cowboy, with black hair that fell somewhat into his green eyes. He looked a little out of breath, which was strange because the boy ran almost everywhere, earning him the nickname of Speed. "Why are ya here? Somethin' happen in Queens?"

"Queenie's parents are lookin' for her!" he almost shouted. He realized how loud he'd been and quieted down. "I told 'em to look in Harlem, but they said they'd be checkin' here afta!"

"We gotta find Queenie." said Stretch, "She's prolly done sellin', so where would she go..." There was a pause as the two thought, and they slowly looked at each other, speaking at the same time.

"Food."

"There's a place called Tibby's a little ways away, let's go there first." she said, and they rushed off. Speed had to slow himself down so the girl could keep up with him, even though Stretch considered herself to be pretty fast. The search ended early, though, when they saw Queenie and two others walking towards them. As they came closer, the girl saw her friend walking with a very pleased-looking Spot, and a rather grumpy Blink. Queenie stopped speaking when she looked forward and saw Speed and Stretch coming towards her. The two stopped in front of them and the shortest one instructed the tallest one to relay the message to his leader. He did so, making Queenie curse under her breath.

"I told Lucy not to tell them..." she muttered. Blink then spoke up.

"Who's Lucy?" he asked. Speed and Stretch once again spoke simultaneously.

"Her maid." Blink blanched. (A/N Yay alliteration!)

"Her what?"

"I'll explain later." she said, "Speed, thanks for the heads up. Tell everybody nothin's changed, and not to tell my parents anything." The boy nodded, shook hands with her, and sped off towards Queens. "C'mon, let's get in the lodgin' house." They did as she suggested, and she walked up to the counter which Kloppman was sitting behind. "If two people come lookin' for me and call me Rose, I'm not here. Or in Manhattan."

"Know what they'll look like?"

"A man and a woman, real fancy clothes." Queenie answered. The elderly man nodded and went back to reading his book. The four newsies climbed the stairs into the dorm room, and struck up a conversation with Racetrack.

"She beat me!" he said in astonishment, still in the process of accepting his loss. The blonde girl chuckled.

"She's the best." she commented. Stretch smirked with pride.

" 'Cept in height." Spot said, "There she comes in last."

"Shut up, _Sean._"

"Shut up, _May._"

"Shut up both o' you!" said Racetrack.

* * *

A/N Hope you guys liked, the next chapter should be out soon!


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